


For Her Sake

by LinkishImp (kanna37)



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Emotional/unstable narrative, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-12 21:53:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28642527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kanna37/pseuds/LinkishImp
Summary: Link, falling for Zelda.  One stop along the way.  Age of Calamity/Breath of the Wild Universe.
Relationships: Link/Zelda pairing hinted/implied
Comments: 2
Kudos: 19





	For Her Sake

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Yes, there is a play on the BTS song Waste it on Me in this little vignette. And if anyone on here truly thinks I am BTS, then they need their head checked. Taking it that I am not BTS, you should then realize that I don't own the song, or BTS, or anything else that I might have failed to mention here. Mild ties to my other oneshot from this universe 'Too Much Praise', though you do not need to read that one, or the upcoming direct sequel to it to understand this one. Basically, I'm just penning down a lot of little ideas I get as I'm playing Age of Calamity, and posting them.

Link's ear twitched, and his feet almost followed.

He couldn't help it; whenever he heard the princess' voice, _each and every time_ he heard it, no matter what else was happening, his attention was instantly locked on her and her immediate surroundings. It was maddening in some ways, but he welcomed it in a rather mordant fashion that he also couldn't help at all. He'd been fascinated by her, drawn like a moth to a flame from the moment she'd first spoken his name upon their meeting in the aftermath of the battle for Hyrule Field.

That had changed in the weeks since – it had grown more intense once he'd been assigned as her knight, which wasn't really all that surprising as they'd been in each other's company almost nonstop since that moment, traveling all over Hyrule as they tried to prepare for the calamity's coming invasion. She was like diamonds on black velvet, a light suspended in darkness that only emphasized her shining perfection. Everything she did just _drew_ him. It was insane. _He_ was insane.

He had never intended to pursue a romantic attachment, had sought the solitary life of a knight, an imperial guard in the service of the royal family. It wasn't that he hadn't noticed girls, but it was always just as people, nothing more. Some were smarter or prettier than others, and some more graceful and caring, but in the end, they were just people, and none had ever made him rethink that. Until now.

Zelda was... _not_ just 'people' _,_ and that wasn't even because of her royal position, but because she was _different_ in some way that he knew, but couldn't _understand._ Something old, something unbreakable tied him to her, and despite what he was beginning to understand it would mean for him, he couldn't regret it.

But she was the princess, and he would spend his life in the shadows, watching, guarding, and loving from afar. It was a life of pain and he knew it. He was fully resigned to it nonetheless, because there was no way that he could now let go of the tiny bit of her that he _was_ allowed to have – the right to see to her safety. He would guard her until his dying breath, and he knew that, too _._ In an odd way, he already felt like he had been protecting her for so long that he couldn't even remember when it had begun, and yet he knew that wasn't true; he'd only been guarding her for a total of six weeks.

One month and sixteen days, fourteen hours and... _six minutes. Almost seven now._

“-and I told her that love was wasted on me, for I had no time for such frivolous preoccupations,” Impa chuckled as she paraphrased her own apparent words of long ago, “but she just laughed at me, told me that was because I wasn't ready. So I asked her when I was supposed to be _ready,_ and she told me I would know... when it happened. Ugh, it was _maddening_. She always had an answer for everything, and that answer was usually no answer at all, but a 'you'll know when it's time' sort of thing. But that was my grandmother for you, and somehow she was always right,” she sighed finally. “I miss her. I'm sure she would have had some wisdom or other to share about all of this, and her counsel would have been welcome.”

“At least in hindsight, eh?” Zelda teased with a gentle smile, at which Impa must have made a face, for the princess laughed, and Link realized that he'd lost track of his own thoughts again, just because she had said a total of two or more words, and he simply couldn't help himself, “But I think I understand, what you meant. In some positions, love really is a wasted concept-” she was probably thinking of her own eventual marriage, “-and allowing yourself to dwell on it only causes discontent. It _is_ better to avoid 'wasting' your heart on a romantic attachment you probably won't be allowed to pursue.”

Impa was clearly surprised to hear the princess' words, her startled stutter told as much. But all Link could think in that moment was, _I wish you'd waste that concept on me_. Oh, he sounded exactly the lovesick fool he'd become, and it was probably a very good thing no one could hear his thoughts, because they'd think him mad. He'd end up being locked away.

 _She's just like the stars,_ he thought to himself, deliberately trying to focus on the dividing line between them. _You can watch her all you wish, but you can never touch her warmth. It isn't for you._

His heart sank like a stone.

Reality was turning out to be quite a bit colder than he'd thought it was only a mere few weeks ago.

 _Keep it in mind, you idiot,_ he chastised silently. _Or things really will get painful._

His ear twitched - and then he was damning himself for every kind of fool once more as her voice again snagged his senses and scattered his thoughts with absolutely no effort on her part whatsoever. She didn't even _realize_ what she was doing to him, and he thanked the goddess for it, too.

He _never_ wanted her to know – if she did, he'd lose her.

And he couldn't have that.

Oh, how far he had fallen, because he could perfectly empathize with what both the princess and Impa were speaking about – he'd kind of viewed romantic entanglements as unnecessary to the life of a soldier, as well, duty outweighing love in his mind, or at least, love of _that_ kind. It was unfortunate for his part that this had changed, but that wasn't the princess' fault or problem, either, and he refused to let it be. It was clear now from her words that she, at least, would not welcome a romantic attachment.

So be it. It hurt, but it was a pain he was willing to bear, for her sake.

He couldn't help but wonder, however... _What else will I willingly bear for her sake, before the end draws near?_

A chill breeze swept through the group as the wind picked up, scattering a few leaves before them with a lonely-sounding sigh... a perfect echo for the same sound in his mind.


End file.
